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The Thornsen family was disturbed to find a grey fin surfacing periodically in the small man-made lake behind their home in Wyatt, California.

"There was significant interest amongst those that had gathered," began Eric Gray. "There was no way that this thing was a shark, but they all seemed so certain."

Buffalo, NY (PRWEB)October 11, 2013

"To be perfectly honest, after the third or fourth time seeing it, I was about ready to lock myself up," said Thornsen. "But then my daughter saw it too, and I felt an immediate sense of relief that I wasn't actually bonkers."

It was at this point the family called in Eric Gray, an aquatic biologist, to determine if the creature in their backyard pond was indeed a shark. "They had sent me video, a few high-resolution pictures, and it looked as though it could be a fairly sizable shark, maybe six-feet," said Gray. "But the idea that there was a shark in a freshwater pond seemed absolutely preposterous."

Eric Gray was greeted by Tomas Thornsen, the first to spot the anomaly, and several very interested neighbors.

"There was significant interest amongst those that had gathered," began Gray. "There was no way that this thing was a shark, but they all seemed so certain."

As soon as biologist Eric Gray of Buffalo, NY had arrived, the shark was spotted in the pond again, causing the crowd to roar in a combination of excitement and fear. After a brief analysis of the situation by Gray, Thornsen dived into the water to retrieve the "shark." After an unseen struggle beneath the water, Thornsen breached the surface with his uncle, Richard, in his grip.

"His uncle planned this surprise trip to California from Norway, and wanted to make what some sort of grand entrance," said Gray, smiling ear to ear. "He bought scuba gear and a fake shark's fin and swam around the pond once a day until his nephew noticed and called me. I thought it was an interesting way to announce your presence."